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You need this Creamy Caprese Quinoa Bake today.

Creamy Caprese Quinoa Bake | halfbakedharvest.com

It’s got tons and tons of basil.

My very favorite summer herb.

As if you did not notice.

Creamy Caprese Quinoa Bake | halfbakedharvest.com/

It’s also loaded with tons and tons of sweet grape tomatoes.

Another summer favorite of mine. In fact, they are my favorite variety of tomatoes. Okay, well actually I think I like heirloom tomatoes the most….

But of course, I can never, ever find them and when I do?

I totally can not afford them.

Creamy Caprese Quinoa Bake | halfbakedharvest.com/

So I pretty much always go for the cute little grape tomatoes.

They never fail me.

Creamy Caprese Quinoa Bake | halfbakedharvest.com/

So I am on a bit of a quinoa kick.

I think most of the world is. It’s quick, it’s good, it’s hearty and it’s healthy.

Creamy Caprese Quinoa Bake | halfbakedharvest.com

But I went and made it so much better today.

Creamy Caprese Quinoa Bake | halfbakedharvest.com/

I combined it with fresh tomatoes, basil, a little cream and a lot of cheese.

Creamy Caprese Quinoa Bake | halfbakedharvest.com/

Then I melted that cheese in the oven.

Yes, the oven. Trust me this is worth turning the oven on for, plus it is only a short cooking time.

Just a few minutes under the broiler and you have ooey gooey cheesy quinoa.

Like a melty caprese pasta, but with quinoa. It’s a pretty good twist.

Creamy Caprese Quinoa Bake | halfbakedharvest.com/

It’s so good.

Plus simple, easy and so quick.

Just what every Monday needs.

Creamy Caprese Quinoa Bake | halfbakedharvest.com/

Oh, and apparently I feel Monday needs lots of photos too.

Creamy Caprese Quinoa Bake | halfbakedharvest.com/

Photos are easier on the brain anyway.

It’s a good way to ease into the week.

Creamy Caprese Quinoa Bake | halfbakedharvest.com/

Creamy Caprese Quinoa Bake

Author: Tieghan Gerard
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Calories Per Serving: 400 kcal

Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

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Ingredients

  • 2 cups cooked quinoa
  • 1 cup of your favorite pasta sauce
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1/3 cup heavy cream
  • 1/3 cup parmesan cheese
  • 1 cup mozzarella divided
  • 1/2-1 cup grape tomatoes halved
  • 1 large bunch fresh basil cut into ribbons
  • 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  • Heat tomato sauce and tomato paste over low heat in a large saucepan. Once warm, stir in heavy cream, parmesan, crushed red pepper, salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and stir in the quinoa. Fold in half of the mozzarella and half of the tomatoes, then chop 6 fresh basil leaves and add them in too. Once combined, spray an 8x8 or 9x9 baking dish with non-stick spray and pour the entire quinoa mixture into the dish. Top with fresh mozzarella rounds or shredded mozzarella and the remaining tomatoes.
  • Bake for 10 to 15 minutes and then turn the broiler on and broil for 1 to 2 minutes or until cheese is golden and bubbly.
  • Remove from the oven and top with fresh basil ribbons. Allow to sit five minutes and then serve.
View Recipe Comments

Creamy Caprese Quinoa Bake | halfbakedharvest.com/

Oh, and so is cheese, lots and lots of cheese – Creamy Caprese Quinoa Bake!

 

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Comments

  1. Outstanding. I, like Katy, cook for one and this dish made me 4 generous meals of delicious goodness. And so easy, with no special prep for the tomatoes. Thanks for a keeper of a recipe, one I am certain to make again.

    Reply

  2. Looking forward to summer so tried this tonight. It was so amazing!! I’ve already shared the recipe with several friends. I live alone and cook for myself and I think this is a great dish to make that will stretch for 3-4 dinners this week. Thanks!

    Reply

  3. So delicious and quick! I added 1/2 lb mild italian sausage after the other posters’ suggestions so that my boyfriend would eat it. Turned out amazing, “epic” in his words. I did use fat free half and half to try to make up for some of the added calories from the sausage and it was fantastic (i’m sure with heavy cream it would have been absolutely incredible). This will be on the menu at my house often in the future! Thank you!

    Reply

  7. Just tried last night, this recipe is delicious!!!!! I can’t get enough!!
    It’s so simple too! I added extra cheese to make it extra extra cheesy! Can quinoa taste any better!?

    Thanks a lot

    Reply

  9. Found this on Buzzfeed and I’m so excited to try it! I love that it’s a bit healthier by using quinoa but it still retains all of the cheesy goodness.

    Reply

  10. Oh man! This is delicious! I saw this recipe on Buzzfeed and decided I would make it for quick and easy work lunches. I ‘m so glad I did because it was absolutely fabulous! My boyfriend called it a “keeper” and we will definitely be making it again!

    Reply

  11. This was SO delicious! My husband excitedly said, “this is one of the best dinners you’ve EVER made!” Per the suggestions of others, I added veggies and swapped out the heavy cream for greek yogurt. It could not have been tastier! One small suggestion though – it wouldn’t hurt to put a note in the recipe that 2 cups of cooked quinoa = 1 cup of uncooked quinoa. I insisted my mom make this recipe as soon as we tried it, and she did, but she innocently made 2 cups of uncooked quinoa! She said it still tasted good but was a little dry. Lesson learned! 🙂

    Reply

    1. UGH, Sorry about the quinoa. I will make a not now. Thanks for the heads up.

      SO happy you guys loved this though. Thanks!!

      Reply

  12. Really, really delicious!
    Thank you for the recipe! 🙂
    Took me about an hour because I made my own tomato sauce 😉

    Reply

  13. Hi –

    I’m not sure whether you and other food bloggers are aware of this, so I thought I’d let you know that it is really irritating to have to scroll so far down to get to the recipe simply because there are so many photos of the exact same thing from different angles. These photos do not seem to serve a purpose other than to take up space. One photo of any particular thing is sufficient.

    This also applies to food bloggers who post photos of things that are patently obvious, like cracking an egg and boiling water. I understand that there is pride involved in taking nice photos, but for the readers (whom I assume bloggers want to keep coming back), it’s probably better to choose a few of the best photos and leave the rest off the page.

    I really can’t tell you how annoying this is. There have been food blogs with no “print” button that have so many photos that when I make the mistake of printing the page, they print out 20-30 pages. This really makes for a very unenjoyable experience.

    Thanks for listening.

    Reply